Sept. 22 was a big day for three former Arundel High wide receivers. On that Saturday of college football, Alec Lemon (2008 graduate) set the Syracuse career record for receptions while Brandon Johnson-Farrell (2007) and R.J. Harris (2010) were featured on ESPN SportsCenter.

There have been some great receivers in Syracuse football history, most notably NFL Hall of Famer and former Washington Redskins great Art Monk. Rob Moore, the current wide receivers coach at Syracuse, spent 12 seasons in the NFL. Marvin Harrison and tight end John Mackey are other former Orangemen who became great pass catchers at the pro level.

Lemon now stands above them all in the Syracuse record book with 145 career receptions. The 6-foot-2, 202-pound redshirt senior set the record with nine catches in a loss to Minnesota, surpassing Scott Schwedes (1983-86) and Shelby Hill (1990-93), who were tied at 139.

"It's something special to be on the list with those guys. Great athletes. Great football players," Lemon said afterward. "It means a lot. It would mean more if we won the game. I don't play this game to get individual records. I go out there to win the game."

One of the players Lemon surpassed en route to the record was Moore, who was pleased that his pupil has made program history. Moore accumulated 106 receptions during his career and probably would own the record had he not passed up his final year of eligibility to turn pro.

"I'd be disappointed if Alec wasn't at the top," Moore said. "Listen, Alec has worked extremely hard. He's a very talented young man. He's taken advantage of the opportunities that he's gotten and he's really matured over the years. He's had to fight through some adversity, all the things that develop you and mature you as a player and as a person, he's done all those things. I couldn't be happier for him."

Moore did establish Syracuse career marks for receiving yardage (2,122) and touchdown catches (22). Lemon is considered an NFL prospect and credited his development to Moore.

"It's incredible," Lemon said of the relationship he has with his position coach. "I love Coach Moore to death."

Lemon set the single-season school record with 68 catches in 2011, earning second team All-Big East Conference honors as a result. The Crofton resident has caught a pass in 19 consecutive games dating back to Oct. 23, 2010. He ranks sixth on Syracuse's all-time list with 1,696 receiving yards and ninth with 11 touchdown catches.

Lemon, who is a candidate for the Belitnikoff Award that goes to the country's top wide receiver, has 16 catches for 170 yards this season despite missing one game due to injury.

Johnson-Farrell made a spectacular 59-yard touchdown catch against James Madison that ranked as the No. 3 highlight on SportsCenter for the weekend. What made the play so amazing was that Johnson-Farrell did a complete somersault, landed on his feet and raced untouched into the end zone.

A defender took out Johnson-Farrell's knees just as he caught the ball. He did a complete front flip and bounced off the back of another defender, which is why the knee never touched the field.

"I got my feet taken out from under me and flipped forward onto another guy. I landed on my feet and didn't hear a whistle so I kept on going," said Johnson-Farrell, who surprised to make ESPN's "Top Plays" list. " "I was sleeping and one of my roommates came in all excited and was like, 'Brandon, you're on SportsCenter.' I checked my phone and I had about 30 texts from people saying they saw it. It was pretty cool."

Johnson-Farrell has enjoyed an outstanding career and ranks fourth in Rhode Island history with 162 receptions. The 5-foot-10, 197-pound speedster needs just 27 more catches to finish second on the school's all-time list behind Brian Forster (284).

"Brandon's body of work over his entire career puts him in an elite class, both at Rhode Island and in the CAA," Rhode Island head coach Joe Trainer said. "His versatility and reliability make him a special player. He is also a special young man."

Harris was also featured on SportsCenter that weekend for his role in the wild game between New Hampshire and Old Dominion, which featured 125 points and 1,544 total yards of offense. Harris made the highlights for New Hampshire with his 73-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Andy Vailas.

Harris finished with eight catches for 191 yards and two touchdowns for New Hampshire, which lost 64-61 despite compiling 725 total yards. Old Dominion quarterback Taylor Heinicke set an NCAA Division I record with 730 yards passing. Heinicke also set school records for completions (55) and attempts (79).

New Hampshire head coach Sean McDonnell said Harris has really blossomed as a redshirt sophomore. The 6-foot, 190-pound Odenton resident leads the team with 39 receptions for 550 yards and five touchdowns. As a senior at Arundel, Harris set state records with 114 receptions for 1,655 yards and 28 touchdowns.

"We thought we were getting something special when we recruited R.J. and he has certainly lived up to all our expectations," McDonnell said. "Obviously, his high school statistics showed he could catch the ball, but there was some concern about his speed. What we've found is that he has game speed. He has great acceleration and gets to top speed very quickly."

Harris was named to the College Sports Journal All-Freshman team and selected second team All-Colonial Athletic Association after leading the Wildcats with 50 receptions for 714 yards and seven touchdowns.

"R.J. had a strong freshman season and has only gotten better as a sophomore," McDonnell said. "He is a heck of a football player and is going to wind up having a great career here."

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College Notebook is a regular feature of Capital-Gazette Communications that highlights the accomplishments of Anne Arundel County products involved with intercollegiate athletics. Items for this column can be faxed (410-280-5953) or emailed (bwagner@capitalgazete.com).